Servicing implement for beacons



May 15, 1945.

e. F. STEWART SERVICING IMPLEMENT FOR BEACONS Fil ed Feb. 2, 1944 Patented May 15, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

I 2,376,290 H i V SERVICING IMPLEMENT FOR. BEAcoNs George F..Stewart, Winchester, Mass. 7 Application February 2, 1944, Seriai No. 520,740 1 Claim. (01. 294-26) This invention pertainsto marine beacons, especially to those of the gas-burning'typed and relates particularly to an implement for Fuse in servicing such beacons. i Q

Inthe patent to Connover,No. 1,623,464, dated April 5, 1927, there is disclosedan improved gas burner for use in such beacons, specifically a V- type burner having. a separate pilot jet for each of the opposed burners. As described in said patent, to which reference may be hadfor additional 0 details, the pilot jet orifices are formed in the Wall of thetransverse or horizontal portion of an inverted U-shaped pipe,the legs of said Ueshaped pilot pipe being telescoped into parallel sockets in the burner base, and each communicating, when seated in its socket, flame gas. 0 i The device thus described in said patent is very effective for its intended purpose andhasbeen quite generally adopted. .However,..itidoes offer certain difliculties with respect=to theservicing of the beacon. To insure dependablexoperation tend to tip and bind.-

A further object is to provide an implement of this kind which is simple, durable, inexpensive 'to make, of small dimensions so that it may be carried in the pocket, and which is so shaped as to applythexwithdrawing force to the pilot pipe in a direction such that the pilot pipe doesnot Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be pointed out in the following more detailed description and by reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

with. a source of pilot- Fig. 1 is a perspective, substantially to actual size, of the improved implement of the present invention; 0 H i Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a beacon burner showing the tool of the present invention applied to the pilot pipe in readiness for withdrawing the latter from the burner;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 2 with certain portions in vertical section;

of such beacons, itisnecessary, at regular intertransverse portion of this pilot pipe is-nested in" One stepin such servicing.

the V-groove between the opposed burner members, and the dimensions of the parts are such that it is very difiicult to seiz with the fingers this part of the pilot pipe for withdrawing it from the burner. This difficulty is often increased by the fact that the legs of the U-shaped pipe may 0 be corroded by the salt air and thus become very firmly fixed in their sockets. Moreover, if the burner is still operating when the servicer begins work, the parts are too hot to handle. Sometimes the servicer resorts to pliers for removing the U-shaped pilot pipe, but if real force be applied by means of such a tool, the pilot pipe may be permanently distorted so that it can not be returned to its operative position, or its jet orifices may be burred or thrown out of line. Thus, the use of such a tool is not to be recommended.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide an implement for use in servicing beacons of the kind referred to, and in particular an implement by means of which the U-shaped pilot pipe of a burner of the Connover type may readily be withdrawn (without danger of injury) and s Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing the pilot pipe as having been withdrawn from the burner proper by the operation of the implement.

Referring to the drawinggthe numeral I designates the upper, portion of the base of the beacon burner of the kindshown in the patent to Connover above referred to. Mounted on this base is the V-shaped burnereomprising the upwardly and oppositely inclined arms {and 3 which have the jet apertures (not shown) 'in their upper, inner faces. The part I of the burner base is provided with vertical passages 4 (only one being shown) leading from the source of gas for actuating the pilot jets, and in axial alignment with these passages 4 the burner base is provided with vertically elongate sockets 5 in which are telescopically fitted the lower end portions 0f the parallel tubular legs 6 of the inverted U-shaped pilot pipe, said legs being integrally connected at their upper ends by the transverse or horizontal portion 1. From this horizontal portion project the pilot jet nipples 8 and 9, parallel, respectively, to the divergent burner members 2 and 3. These jet nipples 8 and 9 receive pilot-flame gas from the tube 1 and direct it so as to ignite the gas issuing from the main burner arm 2 and 3. As

suggested in the Connover patent, it is desirable to provide heat-dissipating means for the legs 6 of the U-shaped pilot pipe, and to this end shields or fins In and H of thin sheet metal are secured in any suitable way to the legs 6 of the pilot pipe,

said shields or fins each having a pair of diverging wings whose inner edges are spaced a short distance from the sidewalls of the burner members 2 and 3. When the 'U-shaped pilot pipe is in operative position, with the lower ends of its legs 6 telescoped into the sockets in the burner base, the transverse portion 1 of the pilot pipe is located in the V-groove between the burner parts 2 and 3, while its opposite end portions are shielded by the upper parts of the heat dissipators I0 and I I. It is thus only at the central part of the pipe member 1 that the latter is accessible for efiectiveseizure, and at this ,point the space between the tjet members 8 and 9 and the burner members 2 and 3 is so small that it is quite difficult for the service man to seize the pilot pipe between his fingertips for removing it from the burner.

In accordance with the present invention, the

a pair of parallel elongate members l3 and 13 which terminate in upturned-hook ends M and 14 ,thusiproviding the recesses 1,5 whi ch are of such dimensions as-to permit the pilot ,pipe

member 1 tobereceived within them. wBr'eierf abl y,;to facilitate engagement of the .hook grim;-

bers with the pilot pipe, the extremeendsgof the hook members are beveled asshownat {L6, For manipulating the device, there is -provided a handle, :here shown .as *comprising an elongate cylindrical shank portion 5H which may :be and i preferably is integral 'withthe headsmemberlld {and which, at its -upper.e nd, lis provided with a transver e fi er n aein ba ea 1 a which updrawing force may be efiectivelytapplied 110513116 implement. I v

The; legs t3 and 1 3 are-sovl'aterallyi spaced t-hat they may :be disposed-at opposite sides of --the burner members 2 and 3, as=shown-in-Fig 3,:5and are 'ioi :Jsuch transverse thickness as :to permit :tlrem ltd-be entered between the "burner members 2 and 3 and the inner edges of the heat-dissipatingmemberis I0 and M. Y

ln us'ing t'lie device, the shank portion .111 {Of the handle is preferably:heldiinwan:inclined:positi'o'n (inclining to the left with' respect i-to :its positio'nshown in FigJB).,"andl'itsihookzportions are pushed downfbetween the burnerimembersfi"and 3 an'd "the heat tiis'sipatin'g menibers. 'lI'he ":head

position shown in Figs. 2 and 3 and lifting force is applied to the bar l8. Since the hook members are disposed at opposite sides of the pilot jet nipples 8 and 9, and at substantially equal distances from the axes of the legs 6, the force thus applied is a straight uplifting force 'having no substantial component tending to tip the U-shaped pilot pipe and thus to bind it in its sockets, and there is no danger of damage to the pilot jet nipples, By the use of this implement,-

permanent injury either to the pilot pipe or to other parts of the burner.

-While one desirable embodiment of the inmention-has been illustrated by way of example,

it is to be'understood that the invention is not necessarily limited to this precise arrangement but is ,to be regarded as broadly inclusive of any ilburrrers, an inverted id-shaped pil t-p .zh wi jet nipples 'in :its horizontal :portiqn whose xes are substantially parallel {to those 7 of the respecr ltiVe burneiissthe leg-swof'the pilot pipe being tele -scopi'cal'ly :fitted dnto sockets [in the burner b se. :and a'heat-dissipating shield secured twee-chie zthe eparallel legs of the pilot spine, each ishield comprisirm diverging zwings :whose inner edge are :spaced 2a :short distance from the side walls obtheburners, saidiimplement;comprisinaandntegral Elength "of square wbar stock :shaped to 51pmvide an -relongate ihead having an integral :npwardly extending elongate cylindrical shank ortion, and a pair of ihooks integral with ,and extending downwardly Ztrom :the lower gendaof \the 'i'lead said-ihooksi being parallel eandispaced apart horizontally a distance isuoh iaslto:receivezthe burners betweenthem, the hooks :being of :slioh transverse ithickness hthat :ea'ch book "may :be intr'odu'ce'd between the burners :and :the inner "edgesof the adjacent heat-dissipatingzsliield re- "sp'eotively;theihooksbeing-rigidaand substantially parallel I' from ztheir junction with the ib'odyiqf "the head -=and having upwardly open recesses 'of such dimensions as"to receive the' transversetpor- =tion df the pilot pipe within them. 

